Critics rip findings in latest citation report

State officials and provider groups are up in arms over a recent federal report on nursing home survey violations. They argue that the aggregate deficiency totals present a biased perspective that does not accurately reflect care delivery in the nation's 16,000 nursing homes.

The Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General report paints a worse picture than actually exists, several state and industry officials insisted. A Georgia state health official, for example, said that most infractions were for minor offenses, such as housekeeping and maintenance issues, or food issues. Idaho health officials were similarly concerned.

Virginia Burke, president of the Rhode Island Health Care Association told McKnight's that the survey process is riddled with inconsistencies. Standard interpretations routinely vary by inspector and across states, she said.

“You have to look at a number of quality measures before you can make a broad statement about the quality of care in one state versus another,” Burke added.

About 94% of the for-profit homes surveyed generated a citation, compared to 91% for government nursing homes and 88% for nonprofits.

While long-term care professionals have at least two more weeks to agonize over the fate of a bill that would permanently repeal the current Medicare physicians funding formula, a host of other key funding "extenders" set to expire also hang in the balance.

Nearly four months into the year, a 2015 calendar sporting nude photographs of the residents of Pleasant Pointe Assisted Living in Akron, OH, are still flying out the door — so much so that a second printing was ordered.